Dad throws newborn daughter off a cliff. Why?

He wanted a son instead...

For most parents, finding out about their pregnancy is a happy day. And later on, when it’s time to find out the gender of the baby, it’s an even more exciting!

But for some, they might be disappointed with the results. This father in China had his baby thrown off a cliff because he was not happy that she was a girl.

He wanted a son, baby thrown off a cliff

Baby thrown off a cliff rescued and survived the fall. | Source: Weibo

This father in China very badly wanted a baby boy and was disappointed and angry when his wife gave birth to a daughter instead. So, he stole his very own baby girl from a hospital in China and threw her off a cliff.

The baby went missing from Magui Hospital in Gaozhou, Guangdong province, according to Channel News Asia. After investigating, police found the father to be a suspect.

The father, surnamed Li, eventually admitted to taking the baby and throwing her off a cliff. He led policemen to the location and they searched for the baby.

According to Li, he had placed the baby in a nylon sack before throwing her off the cliff. His reasoning for doing so is because he was hoping that the baby would be born a boy.

The baby miraculously survived the fall, as it was broken by tree branches. The nylon sack also protected her from her surroundings. She had been abandoned for 12 hours before rescuers found her.

Rescuers used ropes to lower themselves into the wooded area. The slope was too steep to walk or climb down for them to conduct the search safely, reports said.

The father has since been detained by the authorities.

A video of a doctor taking the baby out of the sack has gone viral in China.

Why are baby girls so undervalued?

Source: Pixabay

You might be wondering, if you’re not well-versed with Chinese socio-politics, as to why having daughters is such a bad thing. And why some families go to great lengths to get rid of their baby girls.

In short, for the longest time, Chinese families (and this is prevalent in India, as well), viewed boys as their “pension” or financial security in old age. Having girls were considered a “waste”, and this was more so when China had a one-child policy.

Traditionally, men were also seen as more “powerful” as they could pass on the bloodline and surname of the family. Though this practice of passing down names is also widely seen in Western culture, in the Asian culture, it is highly regarded, even until today.

Back when China was still in its early stages of development, the men were also needed to do heavy lifting, which guaranteed them jobs. While women, seen to be the weaker of the sexes, did not have much value other than to produce baby boys.

However, times have changed and the modernisation of China has seen the abolishment of the one-child policy. Women are also being given more jobs in society and seen as less of a burden.

Rural vs urban

However, in the case of this father throwing his baby off a cliff in China, we must consider his economic standing. Coming from a rural village where old practices are still common, Li already has three kids (two daughters and a son). Having another daughter, to him, will be more of a burden.

We disagree with the way he handled this (a baby thrown off a cliff is NOT the way to show your displeasure), of course. But by understanding why he behaved the way he did, it’s easier to think of solutions for families such as his.